'What are you doing at my girlfriend's house?'

AFTER finding out his girlfriend was spending time with another man, Luke Thomas Schembri turned up at her house with a machete.

Schembri, 20, won't leave jail until October 22 after a 12-month sentence with a five-month non-parole period, back-dated to his first entry into custody in May, was handed down in Grafton District Court on Tuesday.

The court was told Schembri and a co-accused went to the South Grafton house on September 6 when he discovered another man there with her.

According to police facts, the victim and his brother were inside the home when they noticed Schembri outside wielding a "rusty machete".

Police facts reveal Schembri yelled out to the victim, "What are you doing at my girlfriend's house?" The victim came out to confront the two perpetrators and noticed the co-accused, who held a pocket knife.

"Stab me and you're going to jail," the victim said, according to facts.

As the two offenders went towards their car followed by the victim, the co-accused pulled out a gun described to be similar to a Glock handgun carried by police officers.

"If you keep going you'll get shot in the head," the co-accused said according to facts.

Shembri pleaded guilty to a charge of use of offensive weapon with intent to commit intimidation.

Judge Stephen Norrish said the situation appeared to be a case of "lots of hot air and blowing off of steam by very immature people".

He said the victims and perpetrators were seen later that evening "chatting away" and apparently resolving the dispute at a service station, and there was no obvious signs of "lingering fear".

Mr Norrish took into account Schembri's mental health issues, his relatively short criminal history and his likelihood to re-offend when sentencing, and said the personal nature of the motive showed he was no threat to the community.

The co-accused was sentenced in June to 16 months in custody with a non-parole period of nine months.